Automatic time-motion study of a multistep preoperative process.

Background: Hospitals use time-motion studies to monitor process effectiveness and patient waiting. Manual tracking is labor-intensive and potentially influences system performance. New technology known as indoor positioning systems (IPS) may allow automatic monitoring of patient waiting and progress.

Auto identification technology and its impact on patient safety in the Operating Room of the Future.

Automatic identification technologies, such as bar coding and radio frequency identification, are ubiquitous in everyday life but virtually nonexistent in the operating room. User expectations, based on everyday experience with automatic identification technologies, have generated much anticipation that these systems will improve readiness, workflow, and safety in the operating room, with minimal training requirements. We report, in narrative form, a multi-year experience with various automatic identification technologies in the Operating Room of the Future Project at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Reorganizing patient care and workflow in the operating room: a cost-effectiveness study.

Background: Many surgeons believe that long turnover times between cases are a major impediment to their productivity. We hypothesized that redesigning the operating room (OR) and perioperative-staffing system to take advantage of parallel processing would improve throughput and lower the cost of care.

Methods: A state of the art high tech OR suite equipped with augmented data collection systems served as a living laboratory to evaluate both new devices and perioperative systems of care.

Introducing new technology into the operating room: measuring the impact on job performance and satisfaction.

Background: The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Operating Room of the Future (ORF) project is a test site for evaluating new surgical technologies and processes. Here we evaluate the effect on staff satisfaction and burnout of introducing a set of new technologies.

Methods: Staff satisfaction and burnout were measured via sequential surveys based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory during the introduction of a new technology system.